Portable elevator.



PATBNTED DB0. 13, 1904.

T. J. MGCARTHY.

PORTABLE ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 9720.24. 190s.

NO MODEL.

WHA/55555.-

No. '777.530- PATENTED'DBG. 13, 1904.

i T. J. MCGARTHY.

PORTABLE ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 24. 1903. NO MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F75. Z Ffa- 4 UNITED STATESA Patented December 13, 1904.

PATENT OEEicE.

PORTABLE ELEVATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 777,580, dated December 13, 1904.

Application filed December 24a, 1903. Serial N0 186,504. (No model.)

To all wia/0711, it may cfm/cern.-

Be itknown that I, THOMAS J. McCAnTi-ir, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco, in the State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Elevators, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

rlhe object of this invention is to provide an improved machine or contrivance Vof convenient size to move or carry from place to place and which can be utilized for raising or lowering heavy objects of various sorts and transferring them from one level to another.

The invention will be found most useful in stores, factories, warehouses, and wherever bulky articles, loose'or boxed or otherwise in closed, are to be lifted or taken down either for disposal in orderly arrangement or for shipping purposes, as the case may be. It is designed to enable one man with slight or oi'- dinary exertion to hoist or lower such weighty goods or articles as would tax the combined strength of two or more personsliandling the same in the usual manner and to do so over and notwithstanding obstacles that may happen to be in the way and which it might not be expedient to remove simply to give freedom of action to more than one operator. It is very desirable in elevators of this class to have them so constructed as to permit the lowering' of their platform clear to the ground or fioor on which they stand` so that the load can be put on or off without lifting', but merely by rolling or sliding, which saves much labor otherwise spent' and wasted; also, if conditions do not preclude it,.to have an addition to the platform in the shape of a foldable eX- tension which will go up and down With it and afford supplementary facilities in loading and unloading. Itis no less desirable to build the elevator quite open in other ways, particularly at the sides and top, in order to give free access to the platform from either side for speed and convenience in working the load on or off and that the load may be raised above the top of the [machine if and whenever required. Convenience and utility further demand that such an elevator be capable of moving and turning under any load and provided with quickly-responsive steering means whereby it can be instantly shifted and turned about in close quarters to face or run in any desired direction, and in other respects it is important that the elevator-frame be well poised, the platform likewise balanced, the working of the hoistiiig-cablcs regular, the gearing powerful, and the operation simple and easy. All these points received due and careful consideration while the present invention was being devised.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one forni of the machine suitable for the handlingl of caslts and barrels. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the machine adapted for boxes, cases, and 'fiat packages. Fig. 3 is also a perspective and shows still another adaptation of the invention, which is preferred for the moving of plants and shrub bery. Figs. if, 5, and 6 are detail views of the special means employed for controlling the actuating mechanism while the machine is in operation. Fig. 7 isa detail illustrating the preferred construction for the guideways of the platform.

Similar letters and n unie 'als oi reference indicate similar parts throughout the speciiiea` tion and drawings.

l he iranie oi the elevator comprises four posts, uprights, or standards a, placed at suitable distances apart, according to the length and width of the platform that it is intended to accommodate, and Joined and braced to one another at the top and sides by suitable rods, beams, tie-bars, or other cross members, as b c CZ. lhis frame may be oi any desirable size for a given purpose and may be constructed of any available material, such as wood or metal or a combination of both wood and metal. As the drawings show, it 1s' conveniently made of gas-pipe cut up in various lengths that are properly screw threaded, either right or left or both right and left, for interconnection by means of ordinary couplings, such as Ls, Ts, and flanged sockets. The entire frame can thus well be composed of pipes and fittings, except the cross members c at the sides, which preferably should be I-beams or flat bars to favor the best work- IOO able arrangement of the platform and operating mechanism, hereinafter described. It will be observed that this will make an open structure that is light, at the same time as strong and durable, and that the component parts thereof can be procured at small expense and everywhere. The sizes or relative proportions of the several parts. (pipes or other things,) it is understood, will be varied in accordance with the strain that they may respectively have to withstand. All four sides of the machine may be braced transversely, as shown in Fig. l, whenever the size of the wares to be handled will permit-for instance, in pmachines that are used for raising or lowering casks or barrels or other articles not exceeding certain dimensions; but for tall or relatively high objects or for special work, such as the shifting of large cases or plants and shrubbery, &c., it is better usually to have one side of the machine fully open, leaving or taking out the braces or transverse members b Z on that side, as in either of the forms of the machine r'epresented by Figs. 2 and 3.

The above-described frame is mounted on truck-wheels e, of which three or four may be used. Four are shown in the drawings, as it is believed to be the best number to use. The hind wheels in the construction shown at Figs. l and 2 are fitted to an axle f, which is rigidly secured to and across the lower ends of the rear frame-posts, and where the machine is open at the rear, as in Fig. 3, the same wheels are placed on stub-axles g, projecting laterally one from each of said rear posts. On` the other hand, the front wheels in all three forms of the machine are journaled in guide-bearings t, connected with the lower ends of the front posts. The bearings L have swiveling or pivotal connections with their respective posts a, each having an upwardlyprojecting stem c', which passes through a socket-piece j of a bracket 7c, that extends outwardly from the adjacent post. The brackets are rigidly secured to the posts and also one to the other by a brace Z, and thereby are adapted to properly support their end of the frame on the guide-bearings It. Itis obvious that with these guide bearings the forward pair of wheels can be turned to one side or the other to steer the machine in any chosen direction, which is effected by means of rearwardly-extending levers or cranks m, respectively secured to the upper ends of the stems v1, a pair of links n', pivotally engaged at their outer ends, one by each lever or crank m, and united by a knuckle-joint o at their inner ends, and a rotary handle provided with a rigid arm g, that is connected with the said links through their knuckle-joint by the same pivot r and operates to swing the levers or cranks, as is required to veer the said front wheels together. The handle p is journaled in bearings s and t on the front braces Z and Z, re-

spectively, and is held up by its arm q on the knuckle 0. Its upper end is bent or curved outward, as shown. The journals of this steering-handle and of the guide-bearing stems are substantially in line or in a same vertical plane, land so are the pivots of the interconnecting arm, links, and levers, the arrangement being such that the wheels can be swung to the right or left precisely as the handle to the advantage of the operator.

In the forms of the machine `represented by Figs. l and 2 the four wheels c are placed so they will normally stand or run parallel to the loading and unloading sides of the framethat is to say, in planes transverse to the path followed in loading and unloadingnin order that they may serve to steady the machine during these operations. In the other form of the machine, Fig. 3, the wheels stand or run, on the contrary, in the same direction as the loading or unloading takes place normally. The latter mode of disposing the truck-wheels is advantageous whenever it is desired to push the machine under or pull it from under the load. The machine then is backed toward the load to put it on and advanced to take it olf. The 'lay of the wheels,

as represented in the said Fig. 3, allows the rear portion of the machine to be left entirely open from top to bottom, as shown, since there is no transverse strain exerted upon the frame by moving it either forward or backward; but where the frame is open laterally and the wheels are disposed thereunder, as in Fig. 2, it is safer to bind the posts together at the bottom on the open side;for instance, by a rod u, as illustrated in the latter-named figure.

A different platform has been shown in the annexed drawings for each form of the machine illustrated therein in pursuance of my plan and purpose to show in each instance what is most suitable for the particular use to which the elevator is to be put, although it is manifest that the same platform could be used in either one of the three forms of the machine herein disclosed. This being' premised, a brief description will now be given of each platform, and the features that are common to all three platforms will likewise be briefly pointed out.

In Fig. 1 is shown a platform adapted to receive casks and barrels or other cylindric containers that are usually rolled on and off and to hold the same in place without subjecting the attendant to the necessity and trouble of setting them up on end. This platform is preferably made of oak-wood and composed of two wide (or two sets of narrower tongueand-grooved) boards or planks U set a few l inches apart and bound together near the ends by iron strips or tie-bars y, that run across the full width of the said platform and are securely bolted thereto.l It is cut down slantingly on one side, as at 2, to facilitate the roll- IOO IOS

IIO

ing on and off of the containers on that side 'and similarly cut into in the middle at 1 2 to form a recess or cavity in the gap between the boards@ and ai, wherein the containers will lodge upon being' rolled over. On the opposite side this platform is provided with an extension consisting of an additional board (or set of boards) 3, joined. thereto by straphinges 1 and beveled at its outer edge, as at 5, to form a suitable incline toward the ground when the said board 3 (shown elevated in Fig. 1) is brought down to load or unload. rl `he board 3 could be thrown inward against the load or on the bare platform to keep it inside the frame Whenever the platform is to be raised or lowered; but it is deemed preferable for that purpose to place it in a vertical position, as illustrated, which is convenientlyT accomplished by means of a catch-bar 6, rising from one end of the said board 3 and adapted to be engaged by a spring-catch 7 on the adjoining end of the platform. A knob or pin 8 on the back of the spring 7 enables the operator to withdraw it readily from the bar 6 to release theboard 3 whenever the board is to be swung' outward. It will be understood that in stacking or piling' up barrels after the manner suggested in Fig. 1 the board 3 serves as a bridge to convey the barrels to the skids as each tier is being built, and likewise it will receive them whenever the stacks or piles are broken up or shifted.

The platform shown in Fig. 2 comprises a four-sided frame composed of plain'bars 9, of metal or wood, secured to one another at their respective ends. Across the two lateral bars 9 are fastened two other bars 10, in which are journaled a number of rollers 11, both within and without the said lateral bars. This platform, it will be seen. is well adapted for the loading and unloading of cases and other flat containers.

Fig. 3 shows a platform similar to the one just described with reference to Fig. 2, having the same parts, which are indicated by the same numerals; but the platform in Fig. 3 is wider on the open side of the machine than it is in Fig. 2. The greater width of the `platform on the open side makes it project outside the elevator-frame, which is a convenience in working the load on or olf when the machine is brought to or withdrawn from it in the manner hereinbefore pointed out. It may be remarked, however, that the platform could likewise be made to project out of the open side in Fig. 2, if desired, by simply raising the cross-bars 10 and rollers 11 above the bars 9 sufficiently to clear the rod u, that binds the frame-posts a at the bottom on that sic e.

Each one of the three platforms aforesaid is either cut away or drawn in at the ends, as at 12 in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, to allow it in each instance to extend out on all sides between the several posts a and provide suiiicient clearance at the same time for certain gears (presently to be described) which project into the elevatorframe- The posts a of the frame serve as guides for the platform, while the transverse members of the frame stand ont sufficiently to afford a clear passage-way for the platform in its up and down movements. To prevent tilting of the platform, as also binding' and abrasion, .it is provided with guide-plates 13, one at each corner, which guide-plates follow guide-strips 14 on the posts a as the platform is being' raised or louered. These plates 13 and strips 14, clearly seen in Fig. 1, are respectively secured in position, the former by being belted to the platform and the latter by being screwed on the posts, the strips affording continued bearingsurfaces for the plates between the couplings 14 (see Fig. 7) that unite the sections of pipe of which the posts are made. Four cables, respectively numbered 15, 16, 17, and 18, are employed to raise and lower the platform. These `cables are fastened at one end to winding-drums 19 and 20, two cables to each drum, and after being run up over or around suitable pulleys, as 21 22 23 211 25 2G, are brought down in opposite pairs to or near the corners of the platform, where the other end of each cable is made fast. The general arrange ment is best seen in Fig. 1. As thereshown, the two drums 19 and 2O are located at a con venient height on the same side of the machine, where they are mounted on the ends of a shaft 27, having its bearings on the posts a. The cable 15 is secured to the drum 19 at a point near the outer end thereof, thence runs up over IOO the pulley 21 above its said drum and after being deflected by guide-rollers 28 and 29 to bring it inside the elevator-frame runs straight down to the rear left corner of the platform, to which it .is attached, (the left as viewed from the front, Fig'. 1.) The cable 16 is similarly secured to the drum 19 near the middle thereof, thence runs horizontally across to the opposite post of the frame on the right under the pulley 22, which leads it over the pulley 23, directly above, whence the said cable passes down inside the frame and to the right corner of the platform at the rear after deflection by guiderollers 30 and 31. The course followed by the cable 17 is like that followed by the cable 15 and the course of the cable 18 like that of the cable 16, excepting that the two cables 17 and 18 are at the frontend of the machine instead of being at its rear end (in the said Fig. 1.) Thus the cable 17 is secured to the drum 20 near its outerend, vpasses up over the pulley 24 and down between deliecting-rollers 32 and 33 to the left-hand corner of the platform in front, (the observer looking' toward the front,) and the cable 18, attached centrally to the same drum, is led forwardly across the machine under the pulley 25 and up over the pulley 26, whence it is brought down to the other corner of the platform on the right af- IZO ter being carried in by guide-rollers 34 and 35. The several pulleys and rollers all have their bearings on the posts a, brackets 86 being provided for the former and plain spindles 37 for the latter. The drums are spirall y and deeply grooved in such a way that the cables will be wound evenly and securely thereon, the cables 15 and 17 from the outside centerward and the cables 16 and 18 from the center inward. If correctly proportioned relatively to the height of the machine, the two drums should wind themselves full during the ascent of the platform without any overlapping of the cables, one groove being afforded for each bight, coil, or turn that the cables may take, make, or form. The before-mentioned beams c, it will be noticed, are placed close to and approximately in parallel lines with those portions of the cables 16 and 18 which run from the drums 19 and 2O to the pulleys 22 and 25, so that the divergence (or convergence) of the cables at one side of the machine will not exert any injurious stress on the opposite part of its frame, as the said beams will maintain the posts a, sufficiently rigid always to keep theframe from buckling. Being fiat-faced, these beams give all necessary clearance to the cables within and without the frame, as well as to their respective drums and pulleys. Figs. 2 and 3 show the same arrangement of cables, drums, pulleys, and rollers as in Fig. 1, although on a smaller scale and in different positions.

The machine is easily operated by hand, the power to run it being applied by means of a crank 38 and compound gearing. This gearing comprises a pinion 39, keyed to ashaft 40, which receives the crank 38; a gear-wheel 41, mounted on a parallel shaft 42 and in mesh with the said pinion 39; a second pinion 43, provided on the latter-named shaft, and a second larger gear-wheel 44, carried by the shaft 27 of the winding-drums and meshing with the said second pinion 43. The shafts 4() and 42 are parallel to the shaft 27, as well as to each other, and are likewise -journaled in suitable bearings on the posts a at the side of the machine. A ratchet-wheel 45, engaged by a pawl 46, is provided on the shaft 40 to prevent back rotation of the drums Ithereon and the unwinding of the cables when the platform is elevated. 1t will be seen that with this form of gearing a great purchase will be obtained with a small expenditure of power. In fact, it is calculated that with gears of about the relative proportions shown a force of a few pounds applied to the crank will lift a heavy weight on the platform. The operation also is sufficiently rapid in all ordinary cases. However, a small high-speed motor may be substituted for the crank wherever it is expedient to do so-for example, in cases where the loads to be moved are uncommonly heavy and the most powerful (and slowest) gears are used. No limitation is intended to be placed form in its movement downward.

on this invention with regard to the type of gearing or kind of motive power to be employed.

It is understood that to let the platform down after it has been elevated the pawl 46 is thrown olf the ratchet-wheel 45 and the platform is allowed to descend by its own weight. The crank 38 is then released, so as not to retard the descent, and a brake 47 is used instead to control the speed of the plat- This brake is shown in detail at Figs. 4 and 6, which give a face view and a `side elevation of the same, respectively. It consists of a springsteel band wrapped or coiled twice around each of two friction-pulleys 48 and 49 and having its ends projected in parallel lines outward sufficiently close together to admit of being grasped by the hand. These projecting ends of the band 47 are covered with polished wood on their outer sides or above and below the pair, as at 50 and 51, to form a suitable handle with which to press the said band into engagement with its friction-pulleys. The latter are respectively located one above the other on the aforementioned shafts 27 and 42, each being keyed to its shaft. It will be seen that the brake thus formed and applied has a double clasp on each frictionpulley and'the shaft thereof, which insures a good command over the gears and drums and the unwinding of the cables, so that the platform will descend at the rate of speed required (fast or slow) and may also be stopped at any desired point in its descent, whether loaded or not. To prevent the turning of the crank 38 while the platform is descending, the crank-shaft 40 is made slidable in its bearings in order that the pinion 39 thereon may be ungeared by pulling the crank outward. The shaft and crank then become stationary. At other times the crank-shaft is kept from sliding and its pinion maintained properly in gear by the pawl 46, which is formed with a side retaining projection 52, adapted to bear against the face of the ratchet-wheel 45 while the teeth of the latter are engaged by the pawl. Fig. 5 gives an enlarged detail view of this pawl and its said projection.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A portable elevator comprising a vertically-movable platform and a gas-pipe or similar skeleton frame therefor open at the bottom and laterally from the bottom a suitable distance upward to allow the platform to descend clear to the ground and give free access thereto on any chosen side.

2. A portable elevator comprising a skeleton frame and a platform vertically movable therein, the frame being open at bottom and top to let the platform drop clear to the ground and if required allow the load thereon to be elevated through the top, and also open at the IOO IIO

sides from the bottom upward sufficiently to admit of the platform being exposed and accessiblc on either side.

3. A portable elevator comprising a suitable frame and platform Working within the same, supporting-wheels at the corners of the frame, the frame beingpivotally mounted on the forward wheels, and a system of interconnecting' levers and links with a handle adapted to draw the machine and by veering its said front wheels together to steer it in any desired direction.

4. A portable elevator comprising' a framework of four posts braced to one another transversely, a vertically-movable platform Within the frame, a supporting-wheel for each post, guide-bearings for the front wheels having' pivotal connection each with its respective post and crank-and-link connections one with the other, and a handle adapted to pull the machine and also to steer it by operating the latter-named connections.

5. A portable elevator comprising a skeleton frame, a platform fitted so as to move up and down within said frame, spirally-grooved drums located about centrally to one side of the frame and carried thereby, cables fastened to said drums and also made fast one to each corner of said platform, pulleys and deliecting-rollers respectively leading' said cables from the drums to the platform each in a position to suspend and balance the latter in the frame and move it vertically therein, means for turning the drums to wind o1' unwind the cables, and braces at the points of divergence (or convergence) of the cables to steady the frame and prevent it from buckling.

6. A portable elevator comprising an open frame, a cable-suspended platform in said frame extending between the posts thereof, means for raising and lowering said platform by its cables, guide-plates on corners of the platform, and guide-strips on the posts followed by said plates.

7. A portable elevator comprising a sleleton frame of four posts suitably braced one to another, a pulley carried by each post, a platform in said frame, cables fastened one to each corner of said platform and thence running over the pulley thereabove on the adjacent post, drums adapted to wind and unwind said cables simultaneously together, means for leading each cable to and from its drum, and mechanism including compound gearing to turn the drums.

8. A portable elevator comprising a suitable frame, a cable-suspended platform, one or more cable-winding drums adapted to raise said platform up the frame, actuating mechanism for the drum or drums including' compound gearing and a shaft slidable into and out of eng'agement therewith, and a stop to prevent said shaft from sliding while the platform is raised or is being raised.

9. A portable elevator comprisinga suitable frame, a cable-suspended platform, one or more cable-winding drums adapted to raise said platform, actuating mechanism geared with the drum-shaft and including parallel shafts geared with each other and one of which is slidable out of gear, and a double-clasp band-brake embracing the other shaft and the drum-shaft and operating to control the platform in its movement down the frame when the slidable shaft is ungeared.

10. A portable elevator comprising' an open frame, a platform having a central recess in which objects that are rolled thereon will lodge, an extension hinged to said platform i and having means for automatically engaging' a holding device on said platform when thrown inwardly, and means for raising' and lowering said platform up and down said frame.

1l. A portable elevator comprising' an open frame, a platform movable up and down the same, an extension hinged to said platform, an automatic catch adapted to holdup said eX- tension within the frame, and means for releasing the extension from said catch and allowing' it to be lowered as required.

12. A portable elevator comprising a three sided frame, a platform having' a hinged section projecting outward through the open side thereof, an automatic catch adapted to hold up said hinged section and means for raising and lowering said platform.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' THOMAS J. MCCARTHY. [1.. sl

Witnesses:

CHAs. T. STANLEY, A. H. STE. MARIE. 

